Leslie Alexander - Restoration Herbs

Booksigning: 1
This workshop explores common kitchen herbs and spices for everyday oral care. Leslie Alexander focuses on six preparations, addressing teething as well as simple pastes and breath fresheners, and herbs to relieve pain or discomfort associated with any number of causes. This general workshop welcomes anyone curious about natural, affordable oral care alternatives.
Speaker Bio
Leslie Alexander, Ph.D., RH (AHG), is a practicing clinical herbalist in Franklin, Pa., and co-author of Dental Herbalism: Natural Therapies for the Mouth. She was invited to join the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) as a professional member in 2009 and is serving a term on the AHG Council. She divides her time between clinical practice, writing and her work as an educator, offering lectures and workshop opportunities for continuing education. In addition to her focus on both medicinal and culinary herbs (particularly herbs for the mouth), Alexander enjoys foods of all sorts, the outdoors, laughter and tai chi.

Backyard Biodiesel: How to brew your own fuel

Lyle Estill and Bob Armantrout - Piedmont Biofuels

Booksigning: 1
Lyle Estill and Bob Armantrout (authors of Backyard Biodiesel, out in the spring of 2015) demonstrate how to produce biodiesel from used fryer oil and discuss ways of integrating the practice into your resilience efforts at home or on-farm.
Speaker Bio
Lyle Estill is the president and co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, a community-scale biodiesel project in Pittsboro, North Carolina. He has been on the vanguard of social change for the past decade, which has placed him at the heart of the sustainability movement. Estill is a prolific speaker and writer, and the author of Small Stories, Big Changes, Industrial Evolution, Small Is Possible and Biodiesel Power. He has won numerous awards for his commitment to resilience, community development, outreach and leadership.
Bob Armantrout helped to manage four commercial biodiesel plants in Hawaii, Colorado and Texas before moving to Pittsboro, North Carolina, in 2007 to join Piedmont Biofuels. He worked as an instructor at Central Carolina Community College, where he designed and delivered an innovative two-year biofuels degree program. When he is not immersed in the fascinating world of alternative fuels, Armantrout gardens organically to maintain his sanity, and explores the world of mycelium through mushroom and tempeh production.

Live Poultry Processing Demo

David Schafer and Joel Salatin - Featherman Equipment

Booksigning: 1
Learn everything you need to know about humane chicken slaughtering from experts David Schafer of Featherman Equipment and Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, including handling, bleeding, scalding, plucking and eviscerating. Honor the bird and hone your stewardship skills in this live, hands-on demonstration.
Speaker Bio
David Schafer is the founder of the Green Hills Farm Project and author of The Greatest Life book series, has been marketing his pasture-raised meats since 1989. He is also founder of the Featherman Equipment company and lives with Renee DeTar in a self-built, off-grid, straw bale home in Jamesport, Mo.

Breeding New Varieties for Flavor, Productivity and Fun

Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann - Fruition Seeds

Booksigning: 1
Ever wonder how to create your own new varieties of vegetables? Or do you have a hybrid you want to figure out how to save seed from? Come learn how you can start breeding your own vegetables. Discover the methods humans have been using for 14,000 years to create the wondrous array of food we have today. If you have a working knowledge of seed saving, you will get the most out of this class, but all are welcome to be inspired.
Speaker Bio
Petra Page-Mann, a lifelong seed saver, and Matthew Goldfarb, who started farming in 1994, are the co-owners of Fruition Seeds. They are committed to developing organic seed for northern growing conditions. As seed growers, their breeding and variety improvement efforts are focused on taste and productivity for Northeast farmers and gardeners. If they're not growing seeds, they're likely hunting mushrooms, dancing, singing or sharing a meal with someone they love.

Year-Round Harvest: Easier than you think with simple season extension techniques

Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann - Fruition Seeds

Booksigning: 1
If you want to eat fresh greens, herbs and roots throughout the winter, this is the class for you. Harvesting December-March takes a bit of planning, the right varieties, and a few simple, inexpensive approaches to crop protection. This workshop reviews seed-starting and transplanting dates for early and late winter harvests, suitable varieties, DIY low hoops and row-covering techniques, and the time-tested practice of winter mulching. Bring a salad to eat during this workshop to stave off the hunger.
Speaker Bio
Petra Page-Mann, a lifelong seed saver, and Matthew Goldfarb, who started farming in 1994, are the co-owners of Fruition Seeds. They are committed to developing organic seed for northern growing conditions. As seed growers their breeding and variety improvement efforts are focused on taste and productivity for Northeast farmers and gardeners. If they're not growing seeds, they're likely hunting mushrooms, dancing, singing or sharing a meal with someone they love.

Start Saving Your Own Seeds!

Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann - Fruition Seeds

Booksigning: 1
Start saving your own seeds! The significance of seed cannot be overestimated: from how we approach global biodiversity to how we choose our afternoon snack, every decision we make impacts what and how seeds are planted around the world.
Come learn about the history, significance and techniques of seed saving; expect to come away inspired and empowered. Though much has been lost, each seed evidences the extraordinary hope that exists in every crack in the sidewalk!
Speaker Bio
Petra Page-Mann, a lifelong seed saver, and Matthew Goldfarb, who started farming in 1994, are the co-owners of Fruition Seeds. They are committed to developing organic seed for northern growing conditions. As seed growers, their breeding and variety improvement efforts are focused on taste and productivity for Northeast farmers and gardeners. If they're not growing seeds, they're likely hunting mushrooms, dancing, singing or sharing a meal with someone they love.

The Basics of Heritage Hog Production

Jeannette Beranger - The Livestock Conservancy

Booksigning: 1
Heritage pigs are hot with today's consumers and a welcome addition to small-scale sustainable farms. Discover the wide array of breeds to choose from and how they compare with each other for personality, adaptability, dress out and more. Learn the basics of husbandry, reproduction, processing and marketing that will make your endeavor a success.
Speaker Bio
Jeannette Beranger is a program manager for The Livestock Conservancy. She came to the conservancy with more than 20 years of experience working as an animal professional in veterinary and zoological institutions and has been with the conservancy for more than a decade. She uses the knowledge to plan and implement breed conservation programs. At home, she maintains a heritage breeds farm with a focus on rare breed chickens and horses.

I Want Chickens But Where Do I Start?

Jeannette Beranger - The Livestock Conservancy

Booksigning: 1
With the amazing array of heritage chicken breeds available today, it can be complicated deciding which is most appropriate for your land, climate and needs. Learn which questions to ask before committing to a breed, and explore the diversity of chickens to choose from.
Speaker Bio
Jeannette Beranger is a program manager for The Livestock Conservancy. She came to the conservancy with more than 20 years of experience working as an animal professional in veterinary and zoological institutions. She has been with the conservancy for a decade and uses the knowledge to plan and implement breed conservation programs. At home, she maintains a heritage breeds farm with a focus on rare breed chickens and horses.

Perma-What? How You Can Create Your Own Paradise Homestead with Permaculture

Jessi Bloom - N.W. Bloom EcoLogical Landscapes

Booksigning: 1
What is permaculture and can it help us to create a more sustainable future? Jessi Bloom shares step-by-step instructions, plus her favorite tips, inspirations and great plants for beautiful and abundant homesteads and lives!
Speaker Bio
Jessi Bloom is a best-selling author, award-winning ecological designer, Certified Professional Horticulturist and ISA-Certified Arborist who strongly emphasizes ecological systems, sustainability and self-sufficiency in her work. She is passionate about animals, permaculture and making functional gardens beautiful!

Introduction to Organic Medicinal Herb Farming

Jeff and Melanie Carpenter - Zack Woods Herb Farm

Booksigning: 1
Join Jeff and Melanie Carpenter, owners of Zack Woods Herb Farm, as they discuss the propagation, cultivation, harvest, processing and marketing of more than 50 varieties of organic medicinal herbs for home and market.
Speaker Bio
Jeff and Melanie Carpenter own and operate Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde Park, Vermont. They have recently co-authored The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, out in the spring of 2015 from Chelsea Green.
Jeff Carpenter has farming in his blood. Descended from generations of Vermont farmers, he deepened his love and understanding of plants through an apprenticeship with Rosemary Gladstar and as the co-owner of Sage Mountain Herb Products. Since those early days, his work as a farmer, agricultural consultant, educator and researcher has focused on the cultivation and marketing of medicinal herbs. He also partners with Rosemary Gladstar in hosting the International Herb Symposium. His passion for the green world is evident as he spends his days working in the fields and in the community.
Melanie Carpenter grew up at Sage Mountain under the loving tutelage of herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. It was there that Carpenter started her first business, Sage Mountain Herb Products. Over the last 20 years, she has worked as a farmer, mother, community herbalist and educator. In addition to her work as a farmer, she serves on the board of directors of United Plant Savers and assists her family in directing the International Herb Symposium and New England Women’s Herb Conference. She believes that some of the most profound teachings and healings come from working on the land with plants. To that end, she offers classes on the farm to help people explore and deepen their connection to the green nations.

Can Do Easy Canning

Nan K. Chase - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Discover how safe, easy and economical it is to preserve food and beverages by canning. Nothing makes a family more secure than having a well-stocked pantry, and canning ensures that no one runs short even during paralyzing blizzards, power outages or other disruptions. This proven method helps cut energy use and curb global pollution: Why drive to a grocery store when you already have your favorite foods as close as your cupboard! Canning the surplus cuts waste when you have a large harvest, and provides a way to combine and preserve your best crops in imaginative ways. The workshop covers equipment, sanitation practices and step-by-step techniques.
Speaker Bio
Nan K. Chase is the co-author, with DeNeice C. Guest, of Drink the Harvest: Making and Preserving Juices, Wines, Meads, Teas and Ciders, and the author of Eat Your Yard! With more than 30 years of home canning experience, Chase has canned everything from applesauce to prickly pear cactus juice, providing her family and friends with delicious, nutritious, and memorable food and beverage.
Originally an investigative reporter for a small town newspaper in North Carolina, with several press association awards to her credit, Chase has also written for such publications as The New York Times and Southern Living, and she took home a blue ribbon for her crabapple jelly at the North Carolina Mountain State Fair. She lectures extensively on garden topics, and the rest of the time tends to her garden in Asheville, North Carolina.

Delightful Garden Wines

Nan K. Chase - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
There’s a world of light, bright and delicious garden wines waiting just outside your door. Learn how to convert surplus crops of any kind, as well as wild foraged plant material, into wines that will last for years in the bottle and provide memorable drinking with friends and family. Fruits and berries, flowers and herbs, vegetables and root crops, grains and even some leaves can be made into wine ... and commonly were in olden times, and still are in some parts of the world. Home winemaking requires a minimal investment in equipment and supplies, and wine “cooks” without any added energy. This workshop introduces a range of fermented beverages, including meads and hard ciders, in addition to conventional and sparkling garden wines. Nan K. Chase covers equipment, sanitation and temperature guidelines, and such processes as harvest and handling ingredients, plus racking (clarifying) and bottling wines.
Speaker Bio
Nan K. Chase is the author of Eat Your Yard! A member of the Garden Writers Association, Chase has been a freelance journalist for more than 35 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Fine Gardening, Old House Journal, American Bungalow, Southern Living, and many other publications. She was founding president of the Asheville E-Z Gardeners Club in Asheville, North Carolina, where she lives. Chase is also a frequent lecturer for garden organizations, writers groups, and business organizations, and she enjoys doing radio, video and book festival appearances.

Cayenne and First-Aid Herbs

David Christopher - School of Natural Healing

Booksigning: 1
What is in your spice rack that can save lives and heal in a pinch? Learn what common herbs and foods help heal common illnesses and emergencies that come up in everyday family situations.
Speaker Bio
Having been raised in the simple ways of natural health, David Christopher's interests grew beyond his university study. In 1974 he took his place by his father's side at The School of Natural Healing. His book An Herbal Legacy of Courage is a loving tribute to his father.

Comfrey and Healing Herbs

David Christopher - School of Natural Healing

Booksigning: 1
Listen to the miraculous healing powers of medicinal plants, with comfrey being on the top of the list. Learn how these plants can assist in healing many conditions, from broken bones to asthma.
Speaker Bio
Having been raised in the simple ways of natural health, David Christopher's interests grew beyond his university study. In 1974 he took his place by his father's side at The School of Natural Healing. His book An Herbal Legacy of Courage is a loving tribute to his father.

How to Heal Local

Dawn Combs - Mockingbird Meadows

Booksigning: 1
The localization movement has successfully infiltrated our food culture. But why do we spend so much energy worrying about where our carrot comes from, only to head home and reach for a headache remedy that was made in a nameless factory far away? Shouldn't we have access to a solution that was grown or made in our own community? Local medicine economies are possible but require the support of empowered consumers, established growers looking for niche markets, educators, product makers, health care practitioners, retailers and much more. In this workshop, hear about the importance of sourcing your medicine locally and how to build a community to make that possible. Dawn Combs introduces several easy-to-grow plants and do-it-yourself home health care techniques that can help you keep health local, inexpensive, fresh and effective.
Speaker Bio
Dawn Combs is an ethnobotanist with more than 20 years of experience in her field. She is the owner of the herbal health farm Mockingbird Meadows, is a contributor for Mother Earth Living and the author of Heal Local: 20 Essential Herbs for Do-it-Yourself Home Health Care and Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy and Lactation.

Virtual Medicine Walk

Dawn Combs - Mockingbird Meadows

Booksigning: 1
In the world of healing plants there are popular herbs that almost everyone has heard of and then there are those that have been forgotten. These are plants that were well-known by our ancestors but were overlooked as we began to depend more on Western medicine. Take a virtual walk through the windbreaks, abandoned railways and fence-lines where these medicinals still thrive. Listen to their stories while learning how we may begin to use their medicine yet today.
Speaker Bio
Dawn Combs is an ethnobotanist with more than 20 years of experience in her field. She is the owner of the herbal health farm Mockingbird Meadows, is a contributor for Mother Earth Living, and the author of Heal Local: 20 Essential Herbs for Do-it-Yourself Home Health Care and Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy and Lactation.

Home Health Care for Your Thyroid

Dawn Combs - Mockingbird Meadows

Booksigning: 1
At one time, we only discussed the thyroid in eighth-grade health class in reference to the victory over goiter in our modern society. Now we hear about this important gland in the news almost daily. Join Dawn Combs as she discusses how to approach thyroid health from a holistic perspective. Why do some thyroids overact and others struggle to function at all? How do we know when we are having thyroid issues and are their warning signs that can help us make changes before we have trouble? Learn to use simple food, lifestyle changes and healing herbs at home for optimal health.
Speaker Bio
Dawn Combs is an ethnobotanist with more than 20 years of experience in her field. She is the owner of the herbal health farm Mockingbird Meadows, is a contributor for Mother Earth Living, and the author of Heal Local: 20 Essential Herbs for Do-it-Yourself Home Health Care and Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy and Lactation.

Grow a Sustainable Diet

Cindy Conner - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Cindy Conner combines her experience with GROW BIOINTENSIVE® Sustainable Mini-farming with what she’s learned through study and practice in organic gardening, soil building and nutrition since her first garden in 1974. Learn how she has put it all together in a way that works for her and get valuable tips for growing your own sustainable diet. With every bite you take, you vote for how you want the earth used to grow your food. Discover which crops provide the most food in the least space and what to grow to also feed back the earth. Conner’s book Grow a Sustainable Diet was published in 2014.
Speaker Bio
Cindy Conner researches how to sustainably grow a complete diet in a small space at her home near Ashland, Virginia, and has produced the videos Develop a Sustainable Vegetable Garden Plan and Cover Crops and Compost Crops IN Your Garden. Conner, a former market gardener, was instrumental in establishing the sustainable agriculture program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Goochland, Virginia, and taught there from 1999 to 2010. Her book Grow a Sustainable Diet: Planning and Growing to Feed Ourselves and the Earth was published in 2014. Seed Libraries and Other Means of Keeping Seeds in the Hands of the People is available in early 2015. Follow her blog at www.HomeplaceEarth.wordpress.com.

Managing Cover Crops with Hand Tools

Cindy Conner - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Learn what cover crops are, how and when they grow, and which ones might work the best for you. You don’t need a tiller, and Cindy Conner shows you how to manage them with only hand tools. Cover crops included are cereal rye, wheat, oats, hairy vetch, winter peas, crimson clover, red clover, alfalfa, oilseed radish, cowpeas and buckwheat.
Speaker Bio
Cindy Conner researches how to sustainably grow a complete diet in a small space at her home near Ashland, Virginia, and has produced the videos Develop a Sustainable Vegetable Garden Plan and Cover Crops and Compost Crops IN Your Garden. Conner, a former market gardener, was instrumental in establishing the sustainable agriculture program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Goochland, Virginia, and taught there from 1999 to 2010. Her book Grow a Sustainable Diet: Planning and Growing to Feed Ourselves and the Earth was published in 2014. Seed Libraries and Other Means of Keeping Seeds in the Hands of the People is available in early 2015. Follow her blog at www.HomeplaceEarth.wordpress.com.

Seed Libraries and Other Seed Share Initiatives

Cindy Conner - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Seed saving and sharing programs might involve public libraries, but not necessarily. Learn about promoting seed sharing initiatives in your community through seed libraries, seed swaps and seed gardens. Cindy Conner's book Seed Libraries and Other Means of Keeping Seeds in the Hands of the People is new in 2015.
Speaker Bio
Cindy Conner researches how to sustainably grow a complete diet in a small space at her home near Ashland, Virginia, and has produced the videos Develop a Sustainable Vegetable Garden Plan and Cover Crops and Compost Crops IN Your Garden. A former market gardener, Conner was instrumental in establishing the sustainable agriculture program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Goochland, Virginia, and taught there from 1999 to 2010. Her book Grow a Sustainable Diet: Planning and Growing to Feed Ourselves and the Earth was published in 2014. Seed Libraries and Other Means of Keeping Seeds in the Hands of the People is new in 2015. Follow Conner’s blog at www.HomeplaceEarth.wordpress.com.

How to Grow 35 to 40 Organic Plants Within a 2-Square-Foot Garden (With NO WEEDING!)

Shawna Coronado - www.ShawnaCoronado.com

Booksigning: 1
Shawna Coronado talks about the easy way to grow vertically and demonstrates how to grow 35 to 40 organic plants within an area that is smaller than 2 square feet using several different planting systems. Coronado also shows full-color photos featuring her extensive front lawn vegetable organic garden and discusses her creative, sustainable ideas for organic soil maintenance, water collection, sustainable and artful reuse of around-the-house items as vertical wall systems. She also gives suggestions for where to deliver your overabundance of vegetables. (She donates more than 100 pounds of food every season to the local food pantry.)
Speaker Bio
Shawna Coronado is an author, columnist, blogger, photographer and spokesperson who campaigns for social good. She is also an on-camera spokesperson and social media personality with more than 292,000 followers on her various social media venues, and more than 200 videos on YouTube with more than a million views. Her garden has been featured in many venues, including PBS television. Her organic living photographs and stories have been shown both online and off in many international home and garden magazines and multiple books. You can learn more about her at www.ShawnaCoronado.com.

Growing Ginseng and Other Woodland Medicinals for Fun or Profit

Jeanine Davis - Our Tiny Farm and North Carolina State University

Booksigning: 1
Interest in ginseng is rising and people are willing to pay high prices for it but finding wild ginseng is difficult. Learn three methods for growing your own ginseng and other popular woodland medicinals, including goldenseal, black cohosh and bloodroot. Discover how cultivation can help conservation of these precious native plants and hear tips for how to market what you grow.
Speaker Bio
Jeanine Davis is a North Carolina State University horticulture professor who lives, works and farms in Western North Carolina. She helps farmers and gardeners transition into organic agriculture and new crops such as hops, truffles, herbs and stevia. She is the lead author of the newly revised book Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Woodland Medicinals.

Producing Hops for Local Craft Breweries

Jeanine Davis - Our Tiny Farm and North Carolina State University

Booksigning: 1
The explosion of craft breweries in the eastern United States has resulted in a demand for locally grown hops, but breweries require high-quality hops in a form they can use. Learn how to grow hops for this industry and what it takes to do it profitably.
Speaker Bio
Jeanine Davis is a North Carolina State University horticulture professor who lives, works and farms in Western North Carolina. She helps farmers and gardeners transition into organic agriculture and new crops such as hops, truffles, herbs and stevia. She is the lead author of the newly revised book Growing and Marketing Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Woodland Medicinals.

The Hoophouse in Spring and Summer

Pam Dawling - Twin Oaks Community

Booksigning: 1
In colder zones, growers use the summer hoophouse for all those hot weather crops that struggle outdoors! But if you can already grow melons, limas and okra outside, you may be left wondering how to make good use of that valuable covered space when it’s hot. As well as heat-loving crops, this presentation discusses cooling the hoophouse, using the opportunity to tackle soilborne diseases or improve the soil, and other uses (such as seed drying and storage).
Speaker Bio
Pam Dawling is the author of Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres (New Society Publishers, 2013). She is also a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine. An avid vegetable grower for almost 40 years, she has lived at Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia for more than 20 years, growing vegetables and berries for 100 people on 3.5 acres, and providing training for members in sustainable vegetable production.

The Hoophouse in Fall and Winter

Pam Dawling - Twin Oaks Community

Booksigning: 1
Learn how to grow varied and plentiful greens for cooking and salads: turnips, radishes and scallions. Discover how to get continuous harvests and maximize use of valuable space. Hear tips to minimize unhealthy levels of nitrates in cold weather. Also, consider growing bare-root transplants for planting outdoors in spring, and listen to advice on transplanting indoors from outdoors in the fall.
Speaker Bio
Pam Dawling is the author of Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres (New Society Publishers, 2013). She is also a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine. An avid vegetable grower for almost 40 years, she has lived at Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia for more than 20 years, growing vegetables and berries for 100 people on 3.5 acres, and providing training for members in sustainable vegetable production.

Garden Tools 202: The stuff you won't learn at a big-box store

Joel Dufour - Earth Tools

Booksigning: 1
Everybody wants the best tools for their gardening work ... but which are the best? Discover how to identify high-quality, long-lasting, ergonomic tools that work with your body instead of against it. Learn proper tool selection, use, technique and maintenance to maximize your investment. (And make your work more fun!)
Speaker Bio
Joel Dufour grew up and was home-schooled on a small farm in southern Indiana, where the family businesses were a small engine shop, selling organic produce in the summer and firewood in the winter. Dufour started his own business, Earth Tools, in 1993 and has been researching, using and selling the finest garden tools available ever since. He, his wife and two daughters live near Frankfort, Kentucky, in an off-grid, 900-square-foot home they built by hand.

Growing Elderberry for Health and Profit

Terry Durham - River Hills Harvest

Booksigning: 1
Learn how to grow and propagate elderberries for the garden and farm.
Speaker Bio
Terry Durham has been farming organically since 1978, and he started commercial elderberries in 2005. He has helped hundreds of gardeners and farmers start growing through his nursery and educational events.

Get Winterized Now!

Kim Flottum - Bee Culture magazine

Booksigning: 1
Northern bees and beekeepers need to get ready for winter starting NOW!
Speaker Bio
Kim Flottum is the editor of Bee Culture magazine, a beekeeper and the author of several beginning and advanced books on the subject.

Honey Bee Nutrition

Kim Flottum - Bee Culture magazine

Booksigning: 1
Finding enough good food for every bee in the bunch is getting harder to do. Beekeepers need to know honeybee requirements, and be prepared to help out when necessary.
Speaker Bio
Kim Flottum is the editor of Bee Culture magazine, a beekeeper and the author of several beginning and advanced books on the subject.

Eggs-traordinary Eggs: The science and art of cooking with eggs

Patricia Foreman - The Gossamer Foundation

Booksigning: 1
Eggs are among the most nutritious, easily digestible and absorbed foods available on the planet. Eggs are so adaptable that they can be used for a variety of dishes. They create elegant soufflés, hold meatloaf together, keep oil and vinegar from separating in mayonnaise, and form crystals in candies. They spin magically into meringues and thicken smooth custards. Eggs build cake batters by providing the structural framework, and produce finely grained ice creams, enrich soups, glaze pie crusts. What other food can do all this? It’s said you can tell a great chef from a cook by the way they treat and use eggs. Learn the chemistry behind the magic of eggs in this egg-splicit, eggciting workshop.
Speaker Bio
Pat Foreman graduated from Purdue University with degrees in pharmacy and agriculture (animal science, genetics and nutrition). She earned a Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University’s Graduate School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
She is the author of the paradigm-shifting book City Chicks, and a co-author of Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry and Backyard Market Gardening.
Foreman is the developer of the Chickens and You Training Series (www.ChickensAndYOU.com), leading to the Master Backyard Chicken Keeper Certification.

Chicken POOP Power!

Patricia Foreman - The Gossamer Foundation

Booksigning: 1
Chicken manure is an underrated byproduct of our feathered friends. This workshop explores science and wonder behind the creation, composition, usefulness, management and value of chicken poop. Don’t turn your nose up at the possibilities of micromanaging your flock’s poop to enhance your yard and garden (while feeding soil dwellers in the soil food web). This workshop is co-presented by chicken celebrity Oprah Hen-Free.
Speaker Bio
Patricia Foreman graduated from Purdue University with degrees in pharmacy and agriculture (animal science, genetics and nutrition). She earned a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree from Indiana University’s Graduate School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
She is the author of the paradigm-shifting book City Chicks. She is co-author of Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry and Backyard Market Gardening.
Foreman is the developer of the Chickens and You Training Series (www.ChickensAndYOU.com), leading to the Master Backyard Chicken Keeper Certification.

Home Poultry Processing: The art and science of micro-scale meat bird processing ... using tools you already have

Patricia Foreman - Gossamer Foundation

Booksigning: 1
Learn how to humanely, safely, sanitarily and skillfully process your birds. What to do with those roosters and older hens? Get healthy, high-quality meat and bone broth from your backyard flock. Topics include:
• The power of knowing your meat source, how it was raised, fed and processed
• The sacred significance of taking a life ... so that you can live
• The science and chemistry behind skilled meat processing
• Processing equipment that you have ... or could easily borrow
• Hand-plucking made fun
• Super simple evisceration and an educational anatomy lesson
• Nutritional differences of meat from heritage vs. commercial breeds
• Cold shorting and effective freezer packaging for long-term storage
Processing your own chickens for family food is a lost art in our culture. It’s time to bring back this old tradition and combine it with new techniques, so that poultry processing becomes common knowledge in homes and communities.
Speaker Bio
Patricia Foreman graduated from Purdue University with degrees in animal science and pharmacy. She earned a Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) from Indiana University’s Graduate School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
She is the author of City Chicks: Employing Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Creators, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Suppliers. She is co-author of Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry and Backyard Market Gardening.
Foreman is the developer of the Chickens and You Training Series (www.ChickensAndYOU.com), leading to the Master Backyard Chicken Keeper Certification.

Aromatherapy for Wellness

Billy Galloway - Natural Options Aromatherapy

Booksigning: 1
This fun, hands-on class focuses on making aromatherapy simple and easy to use. Experience and discuss 17 essential oils. Hear not only what the oils do, but how to use them to achieve desired outcomes. Learn how to use aromatherapy to assist issues including sleeplessness, psoriasis, restless leg syndrome, hot flashes, lack of energy or focus, sinus problems, arthritis, fibromyalgia and depression. Come and learn about this wonderful natural healing modality.
Speaker Bio
Billy Galloway has been experiencing the benefits of aromatherapy since 2006. He is a certified aromatherapist accredited by the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy and is the eastern director of operations for Natural Options Aromatherapy. Before joining Natural Options, Galloway was the general manager of Gray Kennels and Security. Galloway, his wife, Jenny, and two children reside in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Growing and Preserving Unusual Fruit

John Holzwart - Moonwise Herbs

Booksigning: 1
Everyone enjoys the sensual pleasure of tasting a new and exotic tropical fruit, but few people realize that they can taste these delicious fruits in their own backyard. Join John Holzwart of Moonwise Herbs as he shares tips for growing and preserving unusual fruit. The fruit discussed and/or sampled may include edible dogwoods, aronia, elderberries, sea buckthorn, autumn olives, pawpaws, figs and many more.
Speaker Bio
John Holzwart is a gardener, wild forager, beekeeper and artist. He has a design certificate in permaculture, has studied cordwood masonry, traditional broom-making and has worked on an organic community-supported vegetable farm. He is proprietor of Brooms by Little John and Moonwise Herbs.

Choosing Herbal Remedies for Sustainability

John Holzwart - Moonwise Herbs

Booksigning: 1
The vast majority of herbs are imported (some estimates put the number at more than 95%). Join John Holzwart of Moonwise Herbs and learn how to choose herbal remedies closer to home and have a long-lasting effect on your health and the health of the planet.
Speaker Bio
John Holzwart is a gardener, wild forager, beekeeper and artist. He has a design certificate in permaculture, has studied cordwood masonry, traditional broom-making and has worked on an organic community-supported vegetable farm. He is proprietor of Brooms by Little John and Moonwise Herbs.

Tractor Maintenance and Attachment Options

Ben Housch - Yanmar America Corporation

Booksigning: 1
This workshop provides an overview of tractor maintenance and how to choose attachments for different applications.
Speaker Bio
Ben Housch is the business development manager at Yanmar America Corporation for the Agriculture Equipment division. He counts more than 10 years of experience in the agriculture equipment industry. Housch has a 20-acre farm in Summerville, Georgia, where he and his family raise goats, cows and chickens.

Sustainable Living Simplified

John Ivanko - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Break free of fossil fuels. End the mortgage. Be your own boss. Grow most of your own food and prepare it in your farmstead kitchen. Craft your version of the good life that's based on self-reliance and interconnected systems that address food, energy, nature and finances. Explore John Ivanko's journey, so you can start on your own.
Speaker Bio
John D. Ivanko is a national speaker, writer, photographer, ecopreneur and innkeeper of Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast. Together with his wife, Lisa, he is co-author of the award-winning ECOpreneuring, as well as Farmstead Chef and Rural Renaissance. He is also the co-author and photographer for six award-winning multicultural children's books for the Global Fund for Children. Ivanko is a regular contributor to www.MotherEarthNews.com as well as the print magazine.

Powering Your Homestead with Renewable Energy

John Ivanko - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Whether you want to go off-grid or supply it with renewable energy and make energy a positive cash flow for your business or homestead, explore your many options to power up with renewable energy. Explore wind, solar electric, solar thermal, geothermal, wood heating and other aspects of sustainable living.
Speaker Bio
John D. Ivanko is a national speaker, writer, photographer, ecopreneur and innkeeper of Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast. Together with his wife, Lisa, he is co-author of the award-winning ECOpreneuring, as well as Farmstead Chef and Rural Renaissance. He is also the co-author and photographer for six award-winning multicultural children's books for the Global Fund for Children. Ivanko is a regular contributor to www.MotherEarthNews.com as well as the print magazine.

Creating a Seed Sowing Calendar for Your Garden

Janis Kieft - Botanical Interests

Booksigning: 1
A successful garden begins with knowing the right time to start seeds, both indoors and outside. This session will help you create a seed sowing calendar tailored to your garden based on frost dates, germination times, microclimates and more.
Speaker Bio
Janis Kieft is a longtime gardener and horticulturist with degrees in horticultural science and agricultural education from the University of Minnesota. She teaches classes on a variety of gardening topics and has written articles for the National Garden Bureau and various publications. Kieft is currently a seed buyer for Botanical Interests, a family-owned packet seed company based in Broomfield, Colorado, that specializes in high-quality flower, herb and vegetable seeds for home gardeners.

Garden-Fresh Drinks

Hannah Kincaid - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Booksigning: 1
There’s nothing more refreshing than lemonade on a hot summer day, or more comforting than a steaming mug of herbal tea when winter’s chill sets in. Learn how to transform garden bounty into healthful, seasonal libations for every occasion.
Speaker Bio
Hannah Kincaid is the natural health editor for MOTHER EARTH NEWS. She spends her spare time practicing yoga, studying herbal medicine, hiking the prairie and concocting zesty, healthful beverages from seasonal ingredients.

Farmstead Chef: Organic eating on a dime

Lisa Kivirist - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
What’s the key ingredient to eating healthy, saving money and stewarding the planet? A return to our nation’s farmstead roots of independence, self-sufficiency and frugality. Learn simple, creative tips for rethinking household food budgets, from preserving the homegrown harvest to stocking the kitchen pantry.
Speaker Bio
Lisa Kivirist is a national speaker, writer and innkeeper of Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast. Together with her husband, John Ivanko, Kivirist is co-author of Homemade for Sale, Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance. Kivirist is a distinguished Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, and a national advocate and leader for women in sustainable agriculture. She initiated and directs the Rural Women’s Project of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), an award-winning initiative providing resources and networking for women farmers and food-based ecopreneurs.

Launch a Food Business from Your Home Kitchen

Lisa Kivirist - New Society Publishers

Booksigning: 1
Learn how you can start a simple food business from home with little to no investment while doing the things you love: baking, canning, pickling and more! Jump-start your freedom to earn by taking advantage of state laws that allow specific, “nonhazardous” foods to be made in your kitchen and sold to the public.
Speaker Bio
Lisa Kivirist is a national speaker, writer and innkeeper of Inn Serendipity Bed and Breakfast. Together with her husband, John Ivanko, Kivirist is co-author of Homemade for Sale, Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance. Kivirist is a distinguished Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, and a national advocate and leader for women in sustainable agriculture. She initiated and directs the Rural Women’s Project of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), an award-winning initiative providing resources and networking for women farmers and food-based ecopreneurs.

The Woodstove/Off-Grid Lifestyle

Roger Lehet - Unforgettable Fire

Booksigning: 1
Learn all about woodstove safety and off-grid equipment powered by woodstoves.
Speaker Bio
Roger Lehet has more than 30 years of professional experience, beginning at age 18 as a chimney sweep. He owned four woodstove shops before becoming an inventor of a new breed of woodstoves. His newest offerings allow people to not only heat but cook, bake, and produce electricity and hot water from a wood-fired stove.

A Selection of Epic Tomatoes for Southeastern Gardens

Craig LeHoullier - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Craig LeHoullier has a special passion for tomatoes — juicy, just-off-the-vine, homegrown tomatoes. He will inspire you to grow great tomatoes and expand your choices beyond the ordinary. By sharing knowledge gained from growing around 2,000 tomatoes over decades, as well as stories about some particularly esteemed cultivars, LeHoullier will explore the many color, size and shape options, and relate why tomato flavors can be likened to wine tasting in its many complexities. Think a tomato is just a tomato? You’ll be thinking differently after this seminar.
Speaker Bio
Craig LeHoullier is the tomato adviser for Seed Savers Exchange. In the last 30 years, he has trialed more than 1,200 tomato varieties and has introduced more than 100 varieties to the trade. He lectures widely, from local Master Gardener groups to Monticello and Seed Savers Exchange. He's one of the founders of Tomatopalooza, an event in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Holy Grail: How to grow great tomatoes from seed to harvest

Craig LeHoullier - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Every gardener who grows a plant has a story to tell, tips to share and challenges to endure. Craig LeHoullier presents tips and tricks gleaned from his 35 years of gardening with tomatoes and happily entertains questions and favorite techniques from audience members. From seed starting to harvest, growing in traditional dirt gardens, containers or straw bales (and battling all of the various challenges each season provides), LeHoullier reveals his favorite and most effective techniques.
Speaker Bio
Craig LeHoullier is the tomato advisor for Seed Savers Exchange. In the last 30 years, he has trialed more than 1,200 tomato varieties and has introduced more than 100 varieties to the trade. He lectures widely, from local Master Gardener groups to Monticello and Seed Savers Exchange. He's one of the founders of Tomatopalooza, an event in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

30-Minute Farmers' Cheese Flavored with Herbs and Edible Flowers

Claudia Lucero - Urban Cheesecraft

Booksigning: 1
Best-selling author of One-Hour Cheese, Claudia Lucero,
demonstrates how easy and fun it can be to make a delicious and
simple farmers’ cheese in just 30 minutes. See the entire process
from carton of milk to final cheese and then to flavoring and
decorating with fresh and dry herbs and edible flowers.
Speaker Bio
Claudia Lucero enjoys getting new cheesemakers started with Urban Cheesecraft and her D.I.Y. Cheese Kits. She has partnered with Williams-Sonoma on custom cheesemaking kits and recently wrote the book One-Hour Cheese, which shows beginners how to make 16 fresh cheeses via step-by-step photos. The book is found where books are sold and the kits can be found on www.UrbanCheesecraft.com.

From Leaves and Flowers to Stems and Seeds: Exploring all the delicious possibilities of your vegetables

Linda Ly - Garden Betty

Booksigning: 1
Carrot tops, kale stems, broccoli greens, pepper leaves ... These are things we typically discard because we think of them as inedible or unconventional. But every single one of these "tops and tails" is in fact delicious and highly nutritious! Acclaimed blogger and fearless cook Linda Ly takes a nose-to-tail approach to eating and preparing the produce that often ends up as soup stock or compost. You'll learn how to reduce your food waste at home, look at vegetables in a whole new way, and explore a range of flavors and textures you never knew existed from the plants you've always eaten.
Speaker Bio
Linda Ly is the voice behind the award-winning blog Garden Betty, a lifestyle website devoted to gardening, homesteading, sustainable living, and inspiring a meaningful and adventurous life. The blog began in 2010 as a personal project and immediately earned the title of “Best Gardening Blog” from Country Living magazine. As a gardening expert for HGTV, Ly focuses on edible gardening, farm-to-table cooking, and backyard chicken-keeping. Her first book, The CSA Cookbook (Voyageur Press, 2015), emphasizes a no-waste approach.

Creative Housing from Dirt and Junk

Chris McClellan - Uncle Mud

Booksigning: 1
This presentation expands on the "Mortgage-Free Natural Cottages" workshop from previous FAIRS. Many people find mainstream housing choices frustrating because of their expense, or their industrial sameness, or because they are made of toxic materials. Creative people the world over escape the rent and mortgage trap by building or rebuilding or repurposing spaces using "found" materials from the natural environment or from the dumpster. The results are as unique and beautiful as the people who make them. Join us to discuss successful examples of tiny houses and cottages made from clay and straw, even converted sheds and industrial spaces. See what makes them work and how DIY can work for you.
Speaker Bio
Uncle Mud (aka Chris McClellan) raises free-range, organic children in suburban Ohio. He uses natural building as his soapbox to preach self-reliance and community empowerment. He can be found anywhere there is mud to play in.

Kids Can Build with Sticks and Mud

Chris McClellan - Uncle Mud

Booksigning: 1
Come play in the mud with Uncle Mud. Use clay, straw and sticks to build little houses and sculpt beautiful objects from your wild imagination. This is a "Hands In" workshop: hands and feet squishing and mixing and making a big mess. Talk about how we can use these same materials to build benches, ovens and even houses. There will be water to wash off with, but be prepared to get dirty and have fun.
Speaker Bio
Uncle Mud (aka Chris McClellan) raises free-range, organic children in suburban Ohio. He uses natural building as his soapbox to preach self-reliance and community empowerment. He can be found anywhere there is mud to play in.

6 Inches of Soil in 6 Months with 600,000 Bugs, Part 1

John Moody - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund/Some Small Farm

Booksigning: 1
Great soil ... Everyone wants it, but not everyone has it. So, how can you build great soil while also capturing waste streams to reincorporate into the natural earth cycles (and generate free food for your flocks and other animals)?
Some Small Farm started four years ago with less than 1% organic matter soil, on land that had been overgrazed year after year into little more than solid clay. The farm now produces bountifully from the application of soil-building principles to the land.
Speaker Bio
The Moody family farms and homesteads on 35 acres in Kentucky. John Moody discovered more than a decade ago that his diet was literally killing him with duodenal ulcers, seasonal allergies, and other health problems, so the family began to transition to real, local foods and local food distribution. He started to work to protect the ability to raise, grow and have access to these foods as a board member for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Eventually, he relocated his family to 35 acres of land to put his learning into practice. He now serves as interim executive director for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and as a speaker at many local, regional and national events on food, farming and nutrition. He has two books forthcoming to help growers and gardeners, one on soil and one on small-scale farm infrastructure.

6 Inches of Soil in 6 Months with 600,000 Bugs, Part 2

John Moody - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund/Some Small Farm

Booksigning: 1
See soil building, bed making, and chicken scratching in action!
This session complements the content of the "6 Inches of Soil in 6 Months with 600,000 Bugs, Part 1" talk, showing participants how to make beds, build soil and compost in place, as well as incorporate animals into the operation to achieve superior results with speed.
Speaker Bio
The Moody family farms and homesteads on 35 acres in Kentucky. John Moody discovered more than a decade ago that his diet was literally killing him with duodenal ulcers, seasonal allergies, and other health problems, so the family began to transition to real, local foods and local food distribution. He started to work to protect the ability to raise, grow and have access to these foods as a board member for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Eventually, he relocated his family to 35 acres of land to put his learning into practice. Moody now serves as interim executive director for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and as a speaker at many local, regional and national events on food, farming and nutrition. He has two books forthcoming to help growers and gardeners, one on soil and the other on small-scale farm infrastructure.

You're Kidding Me: The kid-run farm and homestead

John Moody - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund/Some Small Farm

Booksigning: 1
At every MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR where John Moody speaks, people ask, "How do you get your kids to run your farm?" From caring for cows and chickens, to collecting and safely splitting wood, the range of tasks children can do is pretty amazing, if parents do their part to help their family and farm succeed.
This talk is a mix of story, humor, tips and experiences from one family with lots of small children, a busy father, and a large farm and homestead, and how it all (sort of) works together.
Speaker Bio
The Moody family farms and homesteads on 35 acres in Kentucky. John Moody discovered more than a decade ago that his diet was killing him with duodenal ulcers, seasonal allergies and other health problems, so the family began to transition to real, local foods and local food distribution. Moody started to work to protect the ability to raise, grow and have access to these foods as a board member for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Eventually, he relocated his family to 35 acres of land to put his learning into practice. Moody now serves as interim executive director for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and as a speaker at many local, regional and national events on food, farming and nutrition. He has two books forthcoming to help growers and gardeners, one on soil and the other on small-scale farm infrastructure.

Carbon Crazy: Hugelkultur, biochar, ramial chipped wood and more!

John Moody - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund/Some Small Farm

Booksigning: 1
There are a growing variety of techniques and tactics available to growers small and large to build soil, stop erosion, stabilize water supplies in the soil and more. This session explores the major tree carbon-based systems, their benefits and drawbacks, and their similarities and differences, with special attention pai
d to appropriate applications of each.
Speaker Bio
The Moody family farms and homesteads on 35 acres in Kentucky. John Moody discovered more than a decade ago that his diet was killing him with duodenal ulcers, seasonal allergies and other health problems, so the family began to transition to real, local foods and local food distribution. He started to work to protect the ability to raise, grow and have access to these foods as a board member for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Eventually, he relocated his family to 35 acres of land to put his learning into practice. Moody now serves as interim executive director for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and as a speaker at many local, regional and national events on food, farming and nutrition. He has two books forthcoming to help growers and gardeners, one on soil and the other on small-scale farm infrastructure.

Smoothies and Seed Starting

Nicole Peltz - Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

Booksigning: 1
Come to Smoothies & Gardening 101 with Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss. Wouldn't it be fun to turn the most delectable moment of your day into a gardening project? Create tasty Coconut Bliss smoothies and then turn empty pints into planters!
Speaker Bio
Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss is the Evolution of Ice Cream.
They source the finest organic ingredients to bring consumers a dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free treat. Just one taste and you will understand what they mean when they say, “This Is Bliss!”

Growing Hope in Agriculture: A sustainable farming state of the union

Forrest Pritchard - Smith Meadows

Booksigning: 1
Forrest Pritchard presents a lively, entertaining lecture on the past 20 years of sustainable farming. This frank discussion covers how the movement has evolved, and the hopeful momentum of where it's now headed.
Speaker Bio
Forrest Pritchard is a full-time farmer, holding degrees in English and geology from the College of William and Mary. His farm, Smith Meadows, was one of the first “grass-finished” farms in the country, and has sold at leading farmers markets in Washington, D.C., for more than 15 years. Pritchard's book Gaining Ground, A Story of Farmers Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm was named a Top Read by Publishers Weekly, the Washington Post and NPR's The Splendid Table.

Cheesemaking for the Homesteader: Using plants instead of rennet to make cheese

Elizabeth Rich - Misty Moraine Creamery

Booksigning: 1
Want to make cheese, but don't have a calf's stomach on hand for rennet? Nature provides us with many other options. Learn which plants can be used to coagulate milk for home cheesemaking, when they can be gathered, how to prepare them most effectively, and which types of cheeses can be made in this way.
Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Rich is a lawyer with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. She also raises goats and runs a farmstead cheese business on her 40-acre farm in Wisconsin.

Herbal Remedies for Common Goat Ailments

Elizabeth Rich - Misty Moraine Creamery

Booksigning: 1
Build your veterinary first-aid kit using plants commonly found in your backyard, along roadsides, or in other accessible areas. Also learn the basics of making your own tinctures, poultices and herbal-infused oils for treating common goat health problems like pinkeye, mastitis, ringworm, bleeding, broken bones and more.
Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Rich is a lawyer with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. She also raises goats and runs a farmstead cheese business on her 40-acre farm in Wisconsin.

How to Milk a Goat, Make Raw Milk Cheese and Stay Out of Jail

Elizabeth Rich - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

Booksigning: 1
Lawyer, farmer and cheesemaker Elizabeth Rich shares strategies for effective and sanitary goat milking by hand to produce milk that is not intended for pasteurization. She makes chèvre, feta and ricotta-style cheeses. During the demonstration, she also discusses regulatory trends; legal distinctions between cheese production for private vs. public consumption; strategies for limiting government jurisdiction over cheesemaking activities; and enforcement case studies.
Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Rich is a lawyer with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. She also raises goats and runs a farmstead cheese business on her 40-acre farm in Wisconsin.

Taking Care of Business: Business law for farmers, homesteaders and artisan food producers

Elizabeth Rich - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

Booksigning: 1
Learn more about the legal issues faced by direct-to-consumer farm and food businesses. Elizabeth Rich covers choice of entity issues (should you operate as a sole proprietorship, LLC, S Corp, C corp, or other?); employment law issues affecting those hiring interns; zoning and right to farm issues; hosting on-farm events; and innovative business models. Bring your legal questions for the question and answer session.
Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Rich is a lawyer in private practice in Wisconsin, where she has practiced business law, real estate and zoning law, and administrative law, as well as civil litigation, for 30 years. She is the vice president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and provides transactional and litigation assistance to its members.

Children's Goat Milking Demonstration

Elizabeth Rich - Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

Booksigning: 1
Learn all about how to milk a goat. After the udder and teats are cleaned, see proper milking techniques demonstrated. Discover how to strain the milk and store it. Kids (the two-legged kind) can pet the goat, talk to her and try their hand at milking her themselves!
Speaker Bio
Elizabeth Rich is a lawyer with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. She also raises goats and runs a farmstead cheese business on her 40-acre farm in Wisconsin.

Importance of Pollinators

Wayne Robins - Nature Ed-Ventures

Booksigning: 1
Wayne Robins discusses the importance of pollinators (from bees to butterflies and others), their decline in recent years, and the steps you can take to help reverse this by planting certain flowers and building nest houses to attract them.
Speaker Bio
Wayne Robins is a co-founder and partner in Nature Ed-Ventures. His passion for nature began at a young age and continues to this day. As staff naturalist, he is an expert in subjects including mammals, maple sugaring, beekeeping and gardening. He refers to himself now as a "warmed-over hippie."

Alpaca 101: All you need to know about alpacas

Alicia Rocco - Alpaca Spring Valley Farm

Booksigning: 1
Learn all about alpacas, what to look for when purchasing, what you need in land and fencing, what you need to feed, how to take care of injuries and illnesses naturally, and what you can do with the fiber.
Speaker Bio
Alicia Rocco, ND, BCIHP has been in business for more than 40 years, caring for people and animals naturally using herbs and essences. She has a research farm that uses all-natural products for the alpacas.

10 Threads That Successful Startup Farms Knit Together

Joel Salatin - Polyface Farm

Booksigning: 1
Some farm startups flounder and others fly. The ones that successfully get off the ground share common characteristics. In this extremely practical presentation, Pitchfork Pulpit farmer Joel Salatin explains these threads. From emotional conceptions about the land to time and motion studies, this far-ranging performance gives everyone a farm road map to success.
Speaker Bio
Joel Salatin is a third-generation, beyond organic farmer and author whose family owns and operates Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The farm produces salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry and forage-based rabbits, and direct markets everything to 5,000 families, 50 restaurants and 10 retail outlets.
A prolific author, Salatin's nine books to date include both how-to and big picture themes. The farm features prominently in Michael Pollan's New York Times best-seller The Omnivore's Dilemma and the award-winning documentary Food, Inc.

The Return of the Family Milk Cow

Faith Schlabach - Misty Morning Farm

Booksigning: 1
Discover how the family cow can make the homestead leap forward in terms of self-sustainability, while providing so much for the family's health and well-being. Learn the nuts and bolts of not only choosing your cud-chewing beauty queen, but housing, feeding and keeping her healthy with a naturally based model.
Speaker Bio
Faith Schlabach and her husband, Adam, are passionate about helping others learn how to care for their very own family milk cow. She shares from her experiences raising and training family cows, teaching a natural approach that lends itself nicely to the hobby farm model. Yes, though a cow is a bit more complicated than raising a tomato, you will come away inspired and with know-how!

Restoring Life to Your Soil

Dale Strickler - Star seed

Booksigning: 1
Traditionally, we have viewed soil as an inert medium that has no other function than to receive water and fertilizer and hold plants upright. We are now becoming increasingly aware of how soil is a complex biological ecosystem that can either be suppressed or enhanced by our management. Dale Stickler addresses how we can use soil biology to make our soils more tolerant of drought, more generous of fertility and less prone to plant disease.
Speaker Bio
Dale Strickler grew up on a diversified family farm in southeastern Kansas and received bachelor's and master's degrees in agronomy and science education from Kansas State University. He taught agronomy at Cloud County Community College for 15 years, then entered private industry, and now serves as an agronomist for Star Seed in Osborne, Kansas. He also has a farm that is conducted as a management intensive grazing operation, using restored prairies and woodlands in conjunction with grazed cover crop poly cultures.

Nature Crafts for Kids (SESSION NEEDS TO BE ON FRIDAY PLEASE)

Judy Thaler - Nature Ed-Ventures

Booksigning: 1
At this drop-in session, youth can create nature crafts through a variety of hands-on activities, including making leaf prints, lady bug rocks, insect rubbings, leaf critters and more. Suitable for ages 5-10.
Speaker Bio
Judy Thaler is a co-founder and partner in Nature Ed-Ventures, where she presents science enrichment programs to youth. Her passions include gardening, nature, baking, reading and working with youth.

Stephanie Tourles - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Author, licensed holistic aesthetician and herbalist Stephanie Tourles discusses recipes from her best-selling book Organic Body Care Recipes. Learn the history of using natural oils on the body; sources of oil; the skin and its need for oil; benefits of plant-derived base oils and essential oils; how to make body and facial oils; and the nutritional benefits of adding quality oil to the diet. Samples will be available.
Speaker Bio
Stephanie Tourles is a licensed holistic aesthetician, certified aromatherapist, and gardener with training in Western and Ayurvedic herbalism. She is the author of 10 books, including Raw Energy in a Glass, Hands-On Healing Remedies, Organic Body Care Recipes, Raw Energy, Naturally Healthy Skin, 365 Ways to Energize Mind, Body and Soul, and Natural Foot Care. She lives in Orland, Maine.

The Power of Raw Foods: Transform your health, transform your life!

Stephanie Tourles - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Come hear author, raw food nutrition expert, and herbalist Stephanie Tourles discuss raw food beverage recipes from her latest book, Raw Energy in a Glass. She teaches you exactly what "raw live food" is and the benefits of consuming a diet high in raw vegetarian "superfoods"; the difference between blended raw drinks and juices; and how you can incorporate more raw foods and rejuvenative herbs into your daily diet in ways that appeal to even the finickiest of eaters!
Speaker Bio
Stephanie Tourles is a licensed holistic aesthetician, certified aromatherapist, and gardener with training in Western and Ayurvedic herbalism. She is the author of 10 books, including Raw Energy in a Glass, Hands-On Healing Remedies, Organic Body Care Recipes, Raw Energy, Naturally Healthy Skin, 365 Ways to Energize Mind, Body and Soul, and Natural Foot Care. She lives in Orland, Maine.

Stephanie Tourles - Storey Publishing

Booksigning: 1
Come hear author, licensed holistic aesthetician and herbalist Stephanie Tourles discuss recipes from her best-selling book, Organic Body Care Recipes. Learn the history of using natural oils on the body; sources of oil; the skin and its need for oil; benefits of plant-derived base oils and essential oils; how to make body and facial oils; and the nutritional benefits of adding quality oil to the diet. Product samples will be available.
Speaker Bio
Stephanie Tourles is a licensed holistic aesthetician, certified aromatherapist, and gardener with training in Western and Ayurvedic herbalism. She is the author of 10 books, including Raw Energy in a Glass, Hands-On Healing Remedies, Organic Body Care Recipes, Raw Energy, Naturally Healthy Skin, 365 Ways to Energize Mind, Body and Soul, and Natural Foot Care. She lives in Orland, Maine.

Growing Great Garlic and Perennial Onions

Ira Wallace - Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Booksigning: 1
Learn about heirloom garlic and perennial onion varieties, from planting to cultivation and harvesting at home. This workshop covers soil preparation, weed control, disease prevention, harvesting, curing and storage requirements for adding these culinary essentials to your garden.
Speaker Bio
Ira Wallace, author of The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast, is a Central Virginia Master Gardener and a worker/owner of the cooperatively managed Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. She serves on the boards of Organic Seed Alliance, Virginia Association for Biological Farming (VABF) and the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), the lead plaintiffs in OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto. Wallace was one of nine co-operators with the Southern SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program)-sponsored Saving Our Seeds Project. She co-organizes the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello and speaks throughout the Southeast. She blogs at www.MotherEarthNews.com and www.SouthernExposure.com.

Extending the Harvest: Fall and winter gardening

Booksigning: 1
Learn how to plan and plant for bountiful fall and winter harvests.
This workshop includes tips and timing for sowing, harvesting and keeping your veggies alive through zero-degree nights. Enjoy garden-fresh greens and sweet, crisp roots through winter until spring harvests begin.
Speaker Bio
Ira Wallace, author of The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast, is a Central Virginia Master Gardener and a worker/owner of the cooperatively managed Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. She serves on the boards of Organic Seed Alliance, Virginia Association for Biological Farming (VABF) and the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), the lead plaintiffs in OSGATA et al. v. Monsanto. Wallace was one of nine co-operators with the Southern SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program)-sponsored Saving Our Seeds Project. She co-organizes the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello and speaks throughout the Southeast. She blogs at www.MotherEarthNews.com and www.SouthernExposure.com.

Karl Warkomski - Prota Culture

Booksigning: 1
Get off the feed grid. Learn how to attract, raise and harvest the beneficial insect known as the black soldier fly on your farm, homestead or backyard garden. Start producing your own chicken and fish feed using existing waste streams, including food scraps, coffee grounds and brewery residue.
Speaker Bio
Karl Warkomski has worked in the composting and bioconversion sector since 1994. He currently owns and resides on a 68-acre farm in the Piedmont area of North Carolina.

Building a New Economy: What's love got to do with it?

Judy Wicks - Co-founder, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

Booksigning: 1
Both an entrepreneur and activist, Judy will use stories from her own life to illustrate how we must build a new economy that provides for all people while protecting our natural environment. Recounting her life growing up in a small town, living a year in an Eskimo village, cofounding the Free People’s store, her accidental entry into the restaurant business, the creation of the White Dog Cafe and her eventual role as a pioneer in the localization movement. Her talk explores the way entrepreneurs, as well as consumers, can follow both mind and heart to build a more compassionate economy that will bring us greater security, as well as happiness.
Speaker Bio
Judy Wicks is an entrepreneur, activist, and author working to build a more compassionate, environmentally sustainable and locally based economy. Her award-winning memoir Good Morning, Beautiful Business: the Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer was published in 2013, and won the gold medal for Business Leadership from Nautilus National Book Awards in 2014. Judy is founder of Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Café known for its leadership in the local food movement and environmental stewardship. She sold the business in 2009 through a unique agreement that preserves sustainable business practices. Judy founded several non-profits including Fair Food Philly and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and cofounded the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Lifetime Achievement Award, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals Humanitarian Award.